Macdonald, Mubayiwa, Mvumi, Brighton M, Stathers, Tanya ORCID: 0000-0002-7767-6186, Mlambo, Shaw and Nyabako, Tinashe (2021) Field evaluation of hermetic and synthetic pesticide-based technologies in smallholder sorghum grain storage in hot and arid climates. Scientific Reports, 11:3692. ISSN 2045-2322 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83086-3)

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Abstract

Field evaluation of six grain storage technologies under hot and arid conditions (32–42 oC; rainfall < 450 mm/year) in two locations in Zimbabwe were conducted over two storage seasons. The treatments included three hermetic technologies (Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags, GrainPro Super Grainbags, metal silos); three synthetic pesticide-based treatments; and an untreated control, all using threshed sorghum grain. Sampling was at eight-week intervals for 32 weeks. Highly significant differences (p<0.01) occurred between hermetic and non-hermetic treatments regarding grain damage, weight loss, insect pest populations, and grain moisture content; with the hermetic containers exhibiting superior grain protection. Weight losses were low (<3%) in hermetic treatments compared to pesticide-based treatments (3.7 to 14.2%). Tribolium castaneum developed in metal silos, deltamethrin-incorporated polypropylene bags and a pesticide treatment containing deltamethrin 0.13% and fenitrothion 1% while Sitotroga cerealella developed in a pesticide treatment containing pirimiphos-methyl 0.16% + thiamethoxam 0.036%. Mechanisms of survival and development of these pests in the tested treatments and under similar climatic conditions need further elucidation. These hermetic technologies can be successfully used by smallholder farmers in developing countries as alternatives to synthetic pesticides for protecting stored-sorghum grain under hot and arid climatic conditions to attain household food security. To our knowledge, this is the first published study on modern hermetic storage of sorghum grain under typical smallholder storage conditions and involving stakeholders.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	hermetic grain storage, postharvest grain losses, climate change and postharvest agriculture, synthetic grain protectants, storage pest management, stored-sorghum insect pests
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Food & Markets Department Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Food Systems Research Group Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Postharvest Science and Technology Research Group
Last Modified:	02 Mar 2021 23:50
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/16698

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